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Ebay - Roadster 1.5 - Vin 5YJRE11B081000301 - Salvage

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From his description, that battery is toasted. Seems like it went to zero.

The following is the message I got from the current owner:

"Hi, the battery is was able to be charged on 10/6/14 but I was not able to get a charge cord in time. By the time I did get the cord 2 days later, the battery had dipped a bit too low to be charged by the normal method, so currently it is not able to be charged by the normal method. I think there is a way to open up the pack and trickle charge it to return it to normal operation if you know what you're doing. I'm not sure, it will be up to the expertise of the buyer. Any other questions? Send me a message, or you can also call me XXX-XXX-XXXX. Thanks. -Alex"



I was interested at first, but I don't want a brick as a battery.Maybe this is an easy fix, but maybe not.

Also seems there is a fair amount of structural damage to door, frame, and suspension.

I agree this is a parts only car. Might I suggest also selling the hubs, spindles, brakes, rotors and tires to a Lotus enthusiast on the Lotus BB, That way you can recoup even more money.

Best and Good Luck,

T
 

The following is the message I got from the current owner:

"Hi, the battery is was able to be charged on 10/6/14 but I was not able to get a charge cord in time. By the time I did get the cord 2 days later, the battery had dipped a bit too low to be charged by the normal method, so currently it is not able to be charged by the normal method. I think there is a way to open up the pack and trickle charge it to return it to normal operation if you know what you're doing. I'm not sure, it will be up to the expertise of the buyer. Any other questions? Send me a message, or you can also call me XXX-XXX-XXXX. Thanks. -Alex"



I was interested at first, but I don't want a brick as a battery.Maybe this is an easy fix, but maybe not.

Also seems there is a fair amount of structural damage to door, frame, and suspension.

I agree this is a parts only car. Might I suggest also selling the hubs, spindles, brakes, rotors and tires to a Lotus enthusiast on the Lotus BB, That way you can recoup even more money.

Best and Good Luck,

T
So out of curiosity does anyone know how many roadsters are left in USA. We know how many were made but how many have been "taken out"?
 
Ouch. Those right side photos made me wince. Sorry to see that guy got in over his head on that car. It's a parts car.

I don't understand his email to @TOBASH stating "not able to get a charge cord in time". One of his photos shows a UMC cable. Couldn't he find a NEMA 14-50 outlet to plug it into? And where is the SMC?
 
Ouch. Those right side photos made me wince. Sorry to see that guy got in over his head on that car. It's a parts car.

I don't understand his email to @TOBASH stating "not able to get a charge cord in time". One of his photos shows a UMC cable. Couldn't he find a NEMA 14-50 outlet to plug it into? And where is the SMC?

I believe he means he did not get a charger cable in time. He bought the UMC separately. I don't believe he is referring to an extension cord or a proper socket.

Best,

T
 
I believe he means he did not get a charger cable in time. He bought the UMC separately. I don't believe he is referring to an extension cord or a proper socket.

Best,

T

I wonder if the crash sensor tripped too, I'm thinking if it's tripped that you can't even charge the car (I could be wrong).

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Why the heck doesn't he have the keys?
Keys might be in his locked trunk, he says he can't get it open (serious).

spaceballs I'm impressed you can trickle charge without removing the whole ESS.
I've made my own test BMB boards PCBs that can you can put in where the BMBs are, and this test board can charge/balance an ESS sheet from external power.
 
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I bid on it but I don't think I'm comfortable going any higher than the $17K its over already... Bricked battery and irreplacable structural damage are pretty scary. And I really don't think getting into the trunk is as difficult as they seem to believe, I doubt the keys are in there, it doesn't make sense. Maybe the top or a 120V charger cable but also doubtful.
 
Those VinCheck sites tend to allow only a very limited number of queries per day from the same IP address. Maybe even keeping track with cookies.
Plus they use Captcha style verification codes. They are trying to prevent anyone from getting that type of data in bulk.

Amazon Mechanical Turk - Welcome then, else simplest way is to break it into parts and split the work with large group of people on a public forum...
 
Amazon Mechanical Turk - Welcome then, else simplest way is to break it into parts and split the work with large group of people on a public forum...

The trunk can be opened, even without the keys. But I don't think there is a way to open the car without the keys... oops, the passengers door is missing, so that wouldn't be an issue:D
 
The trunk can be opened, even without the keys. But I don't think there is a way to open the car without the keys... oops, the passengers door is missing, so that wouldn't be an issue:D

I've sadly locked myself out three times on the 1.5, but I learned from AAA that a sturdy wire bent properly and slipped in the top of the driver side window can push against on the door handle lever enough to open the door, I ended learning how to do this myself on the third time. AAA guys says they use the same technique for Lotus Elise, so not too surprising. For the the 2.0, I figured out that if you pull the ESS service disconnect, and 12v battery, then plug back in the ESS, when the VMS boots up it will pop open the drives side door... I don't think this is a good thing, but considering how easy it was to get into the 1.5.. I guess the point is moot.
 
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I see this car is up to over 20K.

There must be many people out there with **************** that dwarf mine.

That battery is on zero, and that is half the value of the car.

That frame looks disastrous. Interesting to note how the carbon frame absorbs forces on one side without transmitting to the other.

The driver's side is deceptively aligned and "perfect". The passenger's side is a mess.

Best,

T
 
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Why the heck doesn't he have the keys?

I suggested to him that he remove the lock from the bottom of the driver's door, take it to a local locksmith and have a key made. The new key should open the trunk. Would it also unlock the ignition, or is there a chip in Roadster keys?

He seems to understand building wiring well, so I suspect it was not lack of a 14-50 socket (or the ground plug not being actually grounded) that was the problem.
 
I suggested to him that he remove the lock from the bottom of the driver's door, take it to a local locksmith and have a key made. The new key should open the trunk. Would it also unlock the ignition, or is there a chip in Roadster keys?

He seems to understand building wiring well, so I suspect it was not lack of a 14-50 socket (or the ground plug not being actually grounded) that was the problem.

I spoke to this guy. He knows he has a POS and he wants to unload.

He knows the battery is bricked and I don't buy in to his explanation that on 10/06/2014 the car had charge but 2 days later it was dead.

He is polite, but it is obvious that he wants out of this car.

Let the buyer beware on this "opportunity".

I feel bad for the seller, but I also feel bad for the buyer at this inflated price.

Best,

T